Party like its 1986: Rosewood folks knew how to throw a Big D bash

My story this morning on Rosewood Property Co. sent me into the newspaper clips looking up ancient history.

Back in the 1980s Rosewood Property was one of the best known developers in Texas.

The company built every thing from luxury hotels in Dallas and Houston to high-rise office towers along North Central Expressway and the Dallas North Tollway.

Rosewood was best known for its incredible Crescent complex in Uptown – arguably the most expensive real estate development ever done in Dallas.

If you were around back in the days when the Crescent was being built, you won’t forget the huge bashes Rosewood held for the project.

My favorite event was the “bottoming out” party, which was held at the bottom of the huge hole they dug for the development.

The shindig was in a huge striped tent down on the rocky floor of the excavation. A van shuttled partygoers down, down, down to the bottom.

I remember it was cold as the devil down in that pit – especially at the row of porta potties out back.

But of course the real bash was for the 1986 grand opening, which drew more than 3,500 of Dallas’ elite and wanabe VIPs and cost $2 million. The Crescent grand opening went down in history as a sort of end-times celebration for that era’s property market boom.

They really knew how to throw parties back in the ’80s go-go days.

Eight thousand people turned out for the debut of Momentum Place – now the Comerica Bank Tower.

My most memorable soiree was the opening event for downtown’s Lincoln Plaza skyscraper, where Ray Charles sang in the lobby.

When Fountain Place opened, they of course had New Orleans jazz great Pete Fountain to entertain.

Invite to the Crescent’s 1986 grand opening bash.

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